Spotted Owl (U.S. Forest Service)Could a rape have been prevented if a state worker in Oregon responded by finding the victim help instead of delivering a political pitch?

What does a rape have to do with federal land and the spotted owl in Oregon? Plenty.

The victim first called her county sheriff’s office, but the call was forwarded to state police because the county had cut back on hours of operations for the sheriff.

The dispatcher wondered if the soon-to-be-victim of a rapist could just “ask him to go away.”

The dispatcher told the woman there wasn’t “anybody to send.”

Then came the politics—read between the lines as I explain a few things about Oregon:

“Once again it’s unfortunate you guys don’t have any law enforcement out there…”

There’s no doubt county leaders and county residents are responsible for the quality of life in their community, but there’re also a few facts to bear in mind. The following information about Josephine County appears on numerous sites around the Web:

“The U.S. government owns the majority of the land within the county boundaries, with the Bureau of Land Management owning 28% of the lands within the county boundaries, most of which are Oregon and California Railroad lands, and the Forest Service owning 39%.”

The ownership imbalance worked for many years because the federal government kicked timber revenue back to counties like Josephine. Then the Clinton era ensued, complete with strict regulations on the environment, regulations often driven by extreme leftwing groups who harbor the impression nature should be left alone as much as possible.

The problem: The federal government pushed the [timber] mills toward extinction, with strict 1990s-era regulations, including a cap on harvests that was designed to protect the Northern Spotted Owl.

Effectiveness fail: the owl’s population continues to dwindle. Mill production is grinding to a halt. And the forests are overgrown, creating a fire danger that some observers describe in apocalyptic terms.

Oregon Public Radio said, “Last year, the Josephine County sheriff’s department lost a multi-million dollar federal subsidy for timber dependent counties.”

The last mill in Josephine closed recently. No one—mayor, governor or any other elected official took pains to address revenues they knew they were losing. The Obama administration makes Clinton-era environmental policies look liberal.

Oregon has elected a Democrat governor since 1987.

Josephine County, according to an Oregon State report, “has a higher proportion of Democratic affiliated voters” than similar counties. The same study also said Josephine has "the least engaged" electorate.

Meanwhile, the sheriff was bound by rules related to federal ownership of lands. OPR said:

The sheriff laid off 23 deputies and eliminated the entire major crimes division. Of the six deputies left, two are limited to patrolling federal forest lands and the Rogue River because of the way they are funded.

Whatever the circumstances, however, the dispatcher for the state police set a perfect example of the brutal reality of liberalism. You only matter when your vote comes in handy. When you’re being raped, you’re on your own and even if you’re willing to defend yourself, those same liberals want to limit your weaponry.

Josephine County is reaping what her leaders and residents sowed, but try explaining that to a rape victim who made a plea for help and received only a political pitch in return.